In Paradise
by PhoenixDreamer55
Summary: Muggle bands, letters beyond the grave, and Teddy Lupin...
1. Chapter 1

Andromeda watched with a sad smile as her daughter cradled baby Teddy in her arms. She was swaying back and forth and humming softly, and Teddy was sound asleep, wrapped in his blanket. But Andromeda could see the worry in her daughter's eyes. She knew what it felt like not to know where her lover was. To know if he was okay, if he was coming home soon. She looked at the clock. It had been two hours since Tonks had stumbled in with Teddy.

"He's gone... gone to fight..." she'd said, trying desperately to maintain her composure."It's tonight, at Hogwarts..."

Andromeda remembered feeling like the floor had bottomed out. _The last battle,_ she thought to herself.

"He s-said I had to stay here, that he c-couldn't risk... losing me... t-too," Tonks said, but she couldn't hold back tears any longer. Andromeda gathered her in her arms and led her over to the sofa.

"Shh... it's ok," she said, softly stroking her hair. "He'll come back, you know he will. Shh..."

And for the last two hours Tonks had been pacing, wringing her hands and looking at the clock every five minutes. She would only stop when Teddy woke up and would slowly rock him back to sleep again. Nothing Andromeda said, it seemed, made any amount of difference.

"Nym, love, you need to get some rest," she said, after Tonks had laid Teddy back down in his cradle. But she appeared not to have heard Andromeda and continued her pacing.

Andromeda sighed. She knew Tonks wouldn't be happy unless she was out on the front line. But she, herself, happened to agree wholeheartedly with Remus. It was much too dangerous.

_Besides, Teddy needs her..._ she thought.

_And you need her,_ said some familiar voice inside her. She tried her best to ignore it.

_And she needs Remus. _She heard the voice clearer this time. She knew it was right, but she couldn't bear the thought of her daughter out there fighting to the death.

_You would have gone,_ she heard the voice say. _You know she can't stay here._

Andromeda sighed and looked at Tonks, with her limp, mousey brown hair. Hear dark blue eyes were on the brink of tears as she again looked at the clock. She knew the voice was right, as much as he hated to admit it.

"Go," she said, and for the first time since her arrival, Tonks actually looked at her.

"W-what?" she asked incredulously.

"Go to him. You need him," Andromeda said softly. "And he needs you."

Tears had begun to spill down Tonks's cheeks.

"But..." she said, and turned to look at Teddy, sleeping soundly in his cradle on the table.

"He'll be fine. I'll watch over him. Go. It's okay," Andromeda told her.

Tonks looked hesitant but Andromeda just smiled and shooed her towards the door. Tonks had one foot out of it when she turned back. Before Andromeda knew what hit her Tonks had run back into the kitchen and was hugging her. She buried her head in her shoulder like she had done when she was little.

"Thank you… thank you." Her words were muffled by sobs.

Andromeda wrapped her arms around her and kissed the top of her head. After a few more moments Tonks let go and looked down at her mother's shoulder.

"Oh mum, I'm sorry. I got you all wet..." she said. She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand and reached for her wand, but Andromeda stopped her.

"I'll get it. Don't worry about it," she said. She tapped her wand on her shoulder and muttered a quick spell. "There," she said. "All better." She smiled down at Tonks.

"I love you," Tonks said as she started to cry again.

"I know, love. I love you too, with all my heart, but if you stay any longer you might not be able to leave."

Tonks gave a watery smile and walked over to Teddy's cradle. She bent down and kissed him softly on the forehead. Then she just smiled down at him for a moment.

_Teddy Remus Lupin you look just like your father,_ she thought. _Except for your hair!_ and she had to stifle a giggle over the little tuft of bright turquoise hair on his head.

"I love you," she whispered, and got up to go. With one last glance at her mother, she turned to leave.

Andromeda watched her go with a heavy heart, knowing full well it may be the last time she saw her.

"I don't know, Ted... Did I do the right thing?" she asked to the seemingly empty kitchen.

_She had to go. You couldn't have kept her here much longer, _said the voice.

"But what... what if..." Andromeda couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

_She won't,_ the voice said. _And even if she does, they've left their legacy behind._

She looked over at little Teddy Lupin sleeping in his cradle. So innocent, unaware of the war and turmoil around him. She couldn't help but smile at how much he already reminded her of Tonks.

"I'm going to miss her, Ted. I'll miss her so much..."


	2. Chapter 2

**right... so umm... i wrote this originally as a oneshot with just the first chapter... but i really needed some Teddy Lupin in my life... so i couldn't resist... :D**

**disclaimer: characters, as we all know, belong to J.K. Rowling, lyrics belongs to Eddie From Ohio (listen to them they're amazing!!) **

* * *

5 Years Later

"Uncle Harry, Uncle Harry!!" Teddy shouted as he scrambled down the stairs and toppled into the kitchen.

"Shh... be quiet Teddy. I just got James to sleep," Ginny told him upon his entrance. She was holding 3 month old James in her arms.

"Sorry Auntie Ginny. I was just looking for Uncle Harry," Teddy said, his face and hair turning slightly red.

Ginny smiled. "He's in his study, probably lost in a book. Be careful not to scare him too bad Teddy. And remember, be quiet."

"Okay! Thanks Auntie Ginny!" he said and was about to take off running again when he stopped himself. "Oh yeah, quiet," and he tiptoed out of the kitchen.

Ginny chuckled to herself as she walked over to put James down in his cradle.

Teddy opened the door to Harry's study just a crack. He peered inside and found Harry sitting with his feet up on his desk reading a book Teddy didn't recognize. He decided he would surprise him. He crouched down and carefully pushed the door open wide enough to crawl through. Slowly, and quietly, he made his way over the front of Harry's desk. On his hands and knees he was small enough to go unnoticed.

_This is gonna be so great!_ Teddy thought to himself, and waited patiently for the opportune moment to launch his attack.

Harry sat in his study, looking at the photo album Hagrid had given him in his first year at Hogwarts. There were many more pages, and many more photos, then there were that first year. In addition to those of his parents, there were photos documenting his years at, and after, Hogwarts. One of him, Ron, and Hermione in their second year (and all years after that), one of Neville and Luna, another of Fred and George, and of Ginny. Harry turned a page and saw a picture of Bill and Fleur with their daughter Victoire, and next to that one of Remus with his arm around Tonks, who was holding month old Teddy in her arms.

_She looks like she's glowing..._ Harry thought. And as he looked at them, smiling there, so carefree for that moment, tears began to spill down his cheeks. His mind drifted back to that fateful night at Hogwarts. So many people... all because of him...

"UNCLE HARRY, GUESS WHAT?!"

Harry gave a sudden yelp and dropped the photo album as he fell sideways out of his chair into a startled heap on the floor.

Teddy burst out laughing and ran over to the tangled mess of limbs that was his godfather.

"Wow, Uncle Harry I didn't think I was that scary!" Teddy said, still giggling. "And I thought nothing scared you!" His hair had turned a light yellow color.

Harry slowly got to his feet and located his glasses.

"You didn't scare me, just... startled me, that's all," he said sheepishly. He looked down to where he had dropped the album, but it wasn't there. He looked frantically around for a moment before spotting Teddy flipping through the book on the other side of the desk.

"Gosh Uncle Harry, you look so short!" he exclaimed, seeing a picture of him in his third year. "And look at Uncle Ron and Auntie Hermy!" He had started giggling again. He continued flipping carelessly through the pages with an occasional "Wow!" as he recounted Harry's childhood. But his smile faded a bit as he turned the page again.

Harry, who had been righting the things he knocked off his desk, noticed the lack of excited inquiries. He looked down and saw Teddy staring at the picture of Remus and Tonks that he himself had been looking at. He kneeled down beside Teddy.

"You know who they are?" He asked.

Teddy nodded and after another couple of seconds carefully shut the book and handed it to Harry.

"You never answered my question, Uncle Harry," he said.

"And what question would that be?" he asked as he put the album back in the top drawer of his desk.

"I said guess what!" Teddy said. "Wow your memory is really bad, Uncle Harry!"

"Well... you'd be surprised at how much I remember..." Harry muttered. "Now, as for your question, I would guess that... Uncle George gave you something new today."

Teddy's eyes widened in amazement and his hair changed to a slight shade of red. "You're really good at that game..." he muttered, obviously crestfallen that Harry had guessed it right.

Harry smiled wryly. "No, I just know your Uncle George." He looked down at the frowning Teddy. "Are you going to tell me what he gave you?"

Teddy's hair turned bright green and his eyes lit up again. "Oh yeah!" He reached into the front pocket of his overalls and pulled out a muggle C.D. "They're called..." He glanced down at the C.D. "...Eddie From Ohio. Uncle George said he needed to introduce me to good music early on since all you and Auntie Ginny listen to is mushy gushy junk. And he said there was someone who wanted me to have it."

"Oh he did, did he? Well I'll be having a little talk with Uncle George. But in the meantime, let's hear this Eddie From Ohio, shall we?" Harry said and popped the C.D. into an old muggle stereo Dudley had given him.

"I like the last song the best." Teddy said.

Harry skipped to the last track, a song called _In Paradise_. He sighed, expecting the worst from George, and was surprised to hear some soft piano notes and a woman's voice issuing from the stereo.

_Woke up this morning, went to pick up the mail_

_A routine that I always do_

_Probably find bills and catalogs_

_Full of junk I'd never use_

_As I reached in the box, I felt a sensation_

_I didn't know what it could be_

_Then I pulled out a card, and looked at the postmark_

_And it said, P.O. cloud 23_

_And I thanked the heavens, _

_For sending this letter to me..._

_Why does this sound so familiar? _Harry thought.

_Dear Mommy and Daddy, I asked G-d if he'd_

_Let me write, a letter, to you._

_He sad he felt bad, about all of the sad things,_

_He was permitted to do_

_So he took me to Peter, and asked him to help me_

_'Cuz I was too young to write words_

_So I climbed on his lap, and I leaned over to him_

_This is what St. Peter heard..._

_Don'tcha worry, don'tcha cry,_

_Don't waste the energy wonderin' why_

_Reasons are clear, safer here,_

_In paradise..._

_Don'tcha worry, don'tcha cry,_

_Don't waste the energy wonderin' why_

_Reasons are clear, safer here,_

_In paradise..._

Harry was starting to feel that familiar ache in his heart whenever he thought about that night 5 years ago. Teddy had closed his eyes and his hair had turned a dark, midnight blue. He was swaying back and forth on the spot. Harry tuned back into the song.

_Each morning I wake up, and the sun it shines bright_

_And me and the other kids play_

_We eat lots of pretzels, and watch lots of Barney_

_Sing-a-long songs all the day_

_And at night before bedtime, I go visit Grandpa_

_And he reads me a story or two_

_Then I gather my blankets, and lay off to slumber_

_And dream about Daddy and you..._

"I like that part," Teddy said and looked at Harry. Tears were falling down his face and he was holding the desk for support.

"Why are you crying, Uncle Harry?" Teddy asked.

"It's nothing Teddy," he said, hastily wiping his eyes. "Let me hear the rest of the song."

Teddy still looked puzzled, but did what he was told. The chorus was playing again.

_Don'tcha worry, don'tcha cry,_

_Don't waste the energy wonderin' why_

_Reasons are clear, safer here,_

_In paradise..._

_I've gotta get going, St. Peter is calling,_

_He's gotten a a job for me_

_He says Katie you make sure, the stars are all lined up_

_And twinkling as bright as can be_

_So take comfort together, that I'm doing fine_

_Just lay your tears down to rest_

_My spirit is there, and I'll always be with you_

_Remembering 2 years the best..._

_Don'tcha worry, don'tcha cry,_

_Don't waste the energy wonderin' why_

_Reasons are clear, safer here,_

_In paradise..._

_Don'tcha worry, don'tcha cry,_

_Don't waste the energy wonderin' why_

_Reasons are clear, safer here,_

_In paradise..._

_Don'tcha worry, don'tcha cry,_

_Don't waste the energy wonderin' why_

_Reasons are clear, safer here,_

_In paradise..._

_In paradise..._

_In paradise..._

_In paradise..._

As the last _In paradise..._ faded away, Teddy looked over to see Harry with his hands over his eyes and tears sliding steadily down his cheeks.

"Un-Uncle Harry? Are... Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

Harry took a deep breath and looked up at Teddy. He gave a small smile. "I'm fine Teddy, come here and sit with me," he said. He walked over to his chair and lifted Teddy onto his lap.

"Teddy..." he started. He was hesitant to go into this topic at all. He wasn't sure if he could talk about it without breaking down. "Teddy, why is this song your favorite?" He asked.

Teddy pondered for a moment before answering. "Because that girl Katie sounds like me. She can't be with her parents 'cuz she's in heaven. And I can't be with mine 'cuz they're with Katie."

Harry was amazed. _He has wisdom way beyond his years,_ he thought. And he said it so simply, like he was saying what time it was, or that it was raining outside. Whereas Harry couldn't even fathom the thought of heaven.

"She says she reads stories with her Grandpa, and I read them with Grandma," Teddy continued. "And she's got blankies just like mine, and she dreams about her mommy and daddy too."

Harry could feel his heart aching more than ever at Teddy's words.

"You... You dream about you parents?" Harry asked.

Teddy nodded.

Harry's head was spinning with memories. Dreams of his own parents, the commemoration ceremony after the Last Battle, this song playing, the tune traveling over Hogwarts grounds. He remembered thinking to himself how this was an awful song to play. He was farther from paradise than he had ever been at that moment. He had not even bothered to listen to the other lyrics until now.

"Teddy, do you think I could borrow your C.D. for a while?" Harry asked.

"Well sure, I guess," Teddy said.

"Thank you. I promise I'll give it back in a few days." Harry rubbed his forehead and looked at the clock. "Hey, why don't you go up to your room? I think it's nap time."

"Awww... But Uncle Harry... I'm not tired!" Teddy whined.

Harry smiled wickedly down at Teddy. "Well I guess I'll just have to tickle you and wear you out then huh?" he said.

"AHH! NO NO I'LL GO!! I'LL GO!!" Teddy wrestled himself out of Harry's grasp and shot out of the room.

Harry chuckled and got up from his chair. He listened until he heard Teddy's door slam shut upstairs, then he quietly made his way to the kitchen. He cracked open the kitchen door and saw Ginny looking at the pictures hanging on the wall. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her. She startled a little, but soon relaxed against his chest.

"He seems happy..." she said, and Harry saw she was looking at the photograph of Remus and Tonks dancing on their wedding day."Teddy, I mean."

"I think he is..." Harry said. "And I hope that our little James is half as smart as he is."

Ginny smiled. "With parents like us, how can he not be?" she said.

Harry chuckled and bent down so he could whisper in her ear.

"I love you," he said softly.

Ginny turned around in his arms so she could kiss him. After a moment, she pulled back,

"I love you, too," she said. "And so does Teddy."

Harry sighed. He knew that he could never replace Remus as Teddy's dad, but he was going to be the best godfather he could be. The kind he never had a chance to have.

"I know," he said, and hugged Ginny tight.

* * *

**dag.. i was listening to that song in the car and i just thought of Teddy Lupin when i heard it.. so yeah.. there you go... please review...**


	3. Chapter 3

Harry sat in his study thinking about what Teddy had said.

_"She dreams about her mommy and daddy too..."_

Harry had been dreaming about his parents ever since he could remember. And thanks to the Dementors, it was almost always the same horrifying dream.

That is, until Ginny. Having Ginny by his side at night seemed to take the edge off his nightmares. He slept peacefully for days at a time now, and he was eternally grateful for it. He didn't know what he would do without her.

But Teddy... Who did Teddy have to hold onto at night? True, he didn't know the last things his parents said before they died, hell, no one did. No one who might have heard them survived to tell little Teddy. Harry was sure however, that whatever had occurred, and whatever words were exchanged, Remus and Tonks were together.

Harry had been trying with all his heart to keep his mind from straying to these thoughts. But his mind was already vulnerable from thinking about his parents, and Ginny, and he fell right into his nightmares.

The same questions that had been haunting the back of his mind for months surfaced. How did they really die? Who killed them? What were the last things they said to each other? Were they scared? Which of them died first? Did they ever even have a chance? Images flashed before his eyes... Tonks screaming... Remus's face illuminated in deathly green light... people falling... he couldn't help them...

"Umm... Uncle Harry?"

Harry almost fell out of his chair again. His head whipped around to where Teddy was standing, looking bashful with his lilac hair and wide eyes.

"Did I scare you again, Uncle Harry?" he asked. "I didn't mean to, honest!"

Harry couldn't help but smile at how much he acted like Tonks.

"No, Teddy, you didn't scare me," he said, and chuckled at the relief that washed Teddy's features. His hair turned back to its standard turquoise and his usual grin was back.

"That's good. Auntie Ginny said maybe if I didn't yell I might not scare you so bad. So I was real quiet. You didn't hear me at all, did you Uncle Harry?" Teddy rambled.

"No, no, I didn't hear a thing," Harry said, deciding it best not to contradict him.

"I knew it! I told Uncle George I could be quiet, but he didn't believe me. He said, he said that my hair was loud enough for the whole family." Teddy looked puzzled. "How can my hair be loud if it doesn't talk Uncle Harry?" His hair had turned sky blue and there was a look of utter curiosity etched on his face.

Harry shook his head in amusement. "I honestly couldn't tell you," he said. "Now, you came in here to ask me something, did you not?"

"Oh! Right! Well I wanna write a letter to my mommy and daddy. You know, like Katie," Teddy said, like it was simple as pie.

Harry's stomach dropped. _Oh man I should have seen this coming, _he thought. _What in the world am I supposed to do now?_ Harry searched his mind for some sort of answer. _What would Dumledore or Sirius have done?_ he asked himself, but he knew exactly what they would have done. He sighed.

"Alright Teddy. What would you like to tell them?" he said as he conjured some parchment and pulled out a quill and some ink.

Teddy's whole face lit up. Even his hair, it seemed to Harry, which had turned bright, sunshine yellow.

Teddy scrambled over and climbed onto Harry's lap.

"Okay," he said, and began talking.

Harry made sure to write down everything Teddy said exactly right. When he was finished, he helped Teddy to sign his name at the bottom of the page.

"Would you like me to mail this for you, Teddy?" Harry asked when he was done.

"That would be great! But don't you have to put it in a envelope first?" he asked.

"Don't worry, I will. Now come on, let's go see if Auntie Ginny has fixed you a snack," Harry said. He carefully folded the letter and put it in his jeans pocket.

Teddy looked worried, but apparently a snack sounded good because he jumped off of Harry's lap and waited for him.

"Will you give me a piggy-back ride?" he asked after Harry had stood up.

Harry assumed a hurt look.

"A piggy-back ride? Do I look like a pig to you?" He asked, feigning anger.

Teddy was giggling like mad.

"I thought so!" And with that Harry scooped him up, threw him over his shoulder, and ran screaming about pigs to the kitchen.

By the time they arrived in the kitchen they were both laughing hysterically. Harry set down Teddy in his magically elevated booster seat and walked over to Ginny, who was shaking her head and looking rather amused.

"What, I don't get a snack?" he asked, jokingly.

"Teddy is a growing boy, and we've got to make sure he turns out to be a handsome young man when he gets older. He needs the snack. You are already a handsome young man." She smiled up at him.

"Yeah, I'm a handsome young man who's hungry! And I'll tell you, that kid gets heavier by the minute!" He told her. "What the hell kind of food are you feeding him?"

Ginny leaned up to give him a quick kiss. "Don't question my ways," she said and sashayed over to sit with Teddy.

Harry chuckled. _Damn, I love her,_ he thought to himself. And he would've loved nothing more than to sit with her and Teddy and talk, but that blasted letter was burning a hole in his pocket. He caught Ginny's eye.

"I'm going out for a bit. I'll be back before dinner," he told her.

She looked puzzled, but just nodded and continued her chat with Teddy.

Harry stopped by his study on his way out and grabbed an envelope. He put the letter inside and sealed it with his wand. Then he picked up the quill to address it.

He had no idea what the address for heaven was so he wrote the first thing that came to his mind.

_Nymphadora and Remus Lupin_

_Behind the Veil_

_Heaven_

_Close enough,_ he thought.

Now came the hard part. How did you mail a letter to heaven? You couldn't use an owl... and Harry had never learned any sort of spell enabling you to send letter to the dead. He could only think of one thing to do, so he put the letter back in his jeans pocket and disapparated.

When Harry reappeared he was standing outside Number 12 Grimmuald Place. Since Voldemort had been defeated, there was no sense in keeping it hidden anymore.

Harry walked up the front steps and knocked three times on the door. A few clicks and whizzes later, the door was opened by a very old looking house elf.

"Hello, Kreacher," Harry said.

"Master Harry, welcome," Kreacher said and bowed to let Harry in.

"Thanks." Harry walked into the house and felt his mind flooded with memories, none of which he wanted to think about at the moment.

"Is there anything Kreacher can do for Master Harry?" Kreacher asked after shutting and re-locking the door.

"No thanks, Kreacher. I'm just going to go out back," Harry said.

"Very well, master. If you need anything I shall be in the kitchen." Kreacher bowed again and headed down the stairs into the kitchen.

Harry however, walked past the stairway into a small door to the left. This door led into a small labyrinth of more doors that occasionally would yank themselves off the wall and reposition themselves on another.

He walked straight to the very back and opened a door on the right that led to a magically created yard off the back of the house. It was a pretty yard, with lots of trees, and a few benches and flowers.

Harry made is way to a big willow tree in one corner of the yard. A white wooden sign was hung on the trunk. Engraved on the sign were the words:

Here Lies

Remus John Lupin

Nymphadora "Tonks" Lupin

Loving parents of Teddy Remus Lupin

This weeping willow was planted in memoriam of these

two brave heroes who were killed in

action on the night of The Last Battle.

May they rest here in peace.

He sighed. He remembered the night when Mr. Weasley engraved this sign. It was decided that Remus and Tonks were to be buried at Grimmuald place, the house where they met, and spent the most time together. It was the original headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix and it was where everything had started. It was the perfect place.

Underneath the sign was a little hollow in the tree where people had put flowers and other gifts. Harry could see the bubble-gum pink flowers that Tonks's mother put there everyday. There were some Tiger-lilies and some chrysanthemums there too.

Harry took out the letter and placed it in the hollow. He felt like he should say something, but he never did know what to say when he came.

"He looks just like you, Remus," he said softly. "And Tonks, he acts just like you. Always trying to jump out and scare the hell out of me. And his hair! His hair changes every 5 minutes!" Harry said. He sighed. "I hope you're in a better place now... And if he's there, will you say hi to Sirius for me? And my parents, and Dumbledore. Tell them that I miss them and I think about them a lot, and... I hope you're all doing well... yeah... er... good-bye then..." and awkwardly, he turned to leave.

Tonks smiled as she watched the young man walk back into the house.

"Don't worry, Harry. I'll tell them," she whispered.

"YOU'VE GOT MAIL!!"

"WOAHAAAHH!!!" Tonks fell ungracefully through the cloud she was sitting on. Lucky for her though, she landed straight onto a chuckling Remus's lap.

"Must be mail time," he said and planted a kiss on Tonks's lips. "Good to see you too, love."

Sirius, who was sitting on the other side of a floating chessboard, shook his head.

"You'd think she'd have gotten used to it by now..." he said."Your turn, Moony."

"Just a minute, Sirius." Remus looked at Tonks. "Who's the mail from?" he asked.

"Harry," Tonks said, trying to hide her blush. "He says hi to everyone, by the way."

Sirius jumped up.

"Harry was here?! Why didn't you say something?" he yelled at her.

"Sorry cousin, I wanted to stay and hear what he had to say!" she said.

Remus could see an argument brewing. He quickly intervened.

"Sirius, why don't you go get the mail, while I take my next turn?" he suggested.

Sirius scoffed, but walked over to the floating staircase leading to the next level of clouds, and started up it.

Remus looked down at Tonks, who was leaning her head against his chest.

"What did Harry say?" he asked gently.

Tonks sighed. "He said he looks just like you and acts just like me." She giggled. "He said he's always trying to jump out and scare him, and that his hair never stops changing."

Remus smiled. "I'm sure he's quite the handful. The offspring of a marauder and a metamorphmagus can do that." He leant in to kiss her again.

"Damn it to Azkaban! Would you two quit doing that in public?!" Sirius shouted as he plopped back down in his chair, scowling. "The letter's addressed to you two." He shoved the letter across the chess board.

"Us?" Tonks asked. "Why would Harry send a letter to us?"

"Beats me..." Sirius muttered.

She looked at Remus.

"Well, open it then," he said.

Tonks carefully tore open the envelope and took the letter out. She unfolded it and gasped.

"What is it?" Remus asked.

Tonks handed him the letter.

Remus took it, slowly looked down and began to read it aloud.

"Dear Mommy and Daddy,

It's me! Teddy! I asked Uncle Harry to help me write this letter to you like the girl in the song. I just wanted to tell you not to worry about me 'cuz Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny take real good care of me. Me and Uncle Harry play lots of games 'cuz James is too little to play. And Auntie Ginny makes me a snack everyday and tells me lots of jokes. She's real funny. Uncle George comes and visits a lot too. He gives me all sorts of cool stuff like these discy things that play music and trick wands and junk. We have a lot of fun. And Uncle Ron and Auntie Hermy come by sometimes, but they're real busy 'cuz Auntie Hermy's gonna have a baby. But Vicky comes over and plays with me 'cuz she's only a year smaller than me. And Grandma tells me lotsa stories. She says that I act just like my mommy. Is that true? And guess what? I can already change my hair! Isn't that cool? Uncle George says I have loud hair but I don't know how hair can make noise. Do you know what he meant? Uncle Harry says he doesn't know. Anyways, I just wanted to say hi... and I wanted to tell you not to feel bad or anything 'cuz I know you were just trying to make the world better and all. Uncle Harry told me that my mommy and daddy were quite the heroes. That's cool. I'm glad my mommy and daddy were heroes. Oh and I was wondering, what's heaven like? Is it nice there? I hope you're having fun, 'cuz I am. Maybe I'll send you a picture sometimes, okay? I'll ask Uncle Harry if I can write again soon.

Love you forever,

Teddy Lupin

Remus reached up to wipe a tear from his eye. He could feel Tonks shaking with sobs, and he hugged her tight and kissed the tears off her cheeks.

"He is happy, love, and we should be happy for that," he said softly.

"I know..." she said between sobs."I am..."

Remus pulled a handkerchief out of his coat pocket and handed it to Tonks. She took it and frantically began to wipe her eyes.

Remus stole a glance at Sirius, who looked like he had just gotten hit in the head with a rather furious bludger.

"He had a kid!?" he asked, amazed.

Remus hadn't even thought about that. James must be Harry and Ginny's son.

_Good name,_ he thought.

And Hermione was pregnant! So much had changed. They were all growing up.

Sirius was still shaking his head in disbelief.

"A son... my Harry... a SON!?" Sirius said, then he gasped and jumped up again. "Bloody hell, I gotta tell James!" he shouted, and took off at full speed towards James and Lily's cloud.

Remus chuckled and looked back at Tonks, who was still sniffling a bit.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

Tonks nodded. "It's just... we never even... we didn't... we couldn't..." but she couldn't seem to finish her thought.

"I know, love. But it sounds as though Harry is a wonderful Godfather. And Teddy will have a good life, even though we can't be in it," Remus said.

More tears began to fill Tonks's eyes. Remus pulled her close and stroked her hair. After a few moments, she looked up.

"Hey..." she said. "Do you know what girl from the song he was talking about?"

Remus nodded. "It's a song called _In Paradise_ by a muggle group, Eddie From Ohio. I lent their C.D. to George before... well... anyway... it seems as if he's given it to Teddy. Which is just as well, I would've played it for him too.

Tonks nodded. She looked up at Remus. "Will you sing it for me?" she asked.

Remus smiled.

_"Woke up this morning, went to pick up the mail..."_

It was a sad song, Tonks thought, but she liked it. And with Remus's voice filling her ears she drifted into a peaceful sleep, full of turquoise-haired boys playing in the sunshine, and lining up all the stars in the sky...


End file.
